Azerbaijan hands over another 12 citizens serving sentences in Iran

Another 12 Iranian citizens serving sentences in Azerbaijan`s prisons have been handed over to the representative of the Iranian judiciary system in the Astara checkpoint told the Iranian official in charge of consular affairs at the Iranian Embassy in Baku, Mohsen Molaei told Trend.

Molaei said the prisoners were transferred under the agreement signed between Iran and Azerbaijan on the exchange of prisoners.

Thanks to the positive changes that have occurred recently in the relations between the two countries, as well as the efforts of the Iranian Embassy in Azerbaijan and in cooperation with the Azerbaijani government, some 34 Iranian citizens serving sentence in Azerbaijani prisons have been handed over last month, and an agreement has been reached on the hand over of 35 more to Iran in the next month, he said.

Three of the prisoners transferred today are women, according to Molaei.

Today about 150 Iranian citizen serve sentence in Azerbaijani prisons, according to the Iranian diplomat. Majority of them have been convicted on the charge of sale and supply of drugs.

Iran handed over five citizens to the Azerbaijani side serving sentences in the Iran Islamic Republic in recent weeks.